Summary: A new study finds that recalling positive memories before stepping on stage can meaningfully improve musicians’ performances. Professional wind instrumentalists who focused on uplifting past experiences showed greater sympathetic nervous system activity, reported more positive emotions and higher arousal, and were rated as performing better than those who recalled negative memories or no memories … Read more

Tel Aviv University, Harvard, and Technion team report that a routine blood test could reveal Alzheimer’s risk and relate to IQ Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease today often requires lengthy cognitive evaluations, expensive brain imaging and, in some cases, invasive testing of cerebrospinal fluid. These procedures can be time-consuming, costly and sometimes subjective. A new collaborative study … Read more

Summary: Although incidence rates for malignant brain cancers have fallen in recent years, five-year survival for people diagnosed with brain tumors remains low. Source: American Cancer Society A comprehensive analysis found that incidence rates for malignant brain and other central nervous system (CNS) tumors in the United States declined by 0.8% per year from 2008 … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a clear relationship between the control energy required to steer brain state transitions and regional glucose metabolism in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). This finding establishes a biological foundation for applying network control theory to the study of brain dynamics. Source: USTC A research team led by He Xiaosong at the University … Read more

Summary: Unexpectedly positive outcomes strengthen memory for specific events. These results may have implications for understanding and treating memory problems associated with depression. Source: Brown University Key finding: Researchers found that moments when outcomes exceed expectations — for example, finding an unexpectedly good parking spot or discovering a $20 bill on the sidewalk — not … Read more

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified a new signaling role for the enzyme RIPK3 in coordinating communication between mitochondria and the immune system. The study reveals that RIPK3 links mitochondrial function to natural killer T (NKT) cell activation, a pathway that influences immune responses to tumors and helps regulate inflammatory processes that … Read more

Summary: Theta oscillations appear to play a central role in how the human brain processes smells, a recent study reports. Source: Northwestern Medicine. Theta Oscillations Rapidly Convey Odor Information in the Human Brain Theta oscillations — rhythmic electrical activity that cycles about four to eight times per second — may be a core mechanism for … Read more

Summary: Consuming familiar items in unconventional ways can renew the pleasure they provide, new research suggests. Source: The Conversation. The quick fade of pleasure It happens almost instantly. You open a bottle of your favorite drink, take a sip, and the flavor is intense and delightful. After a few more sips, however, the taste seems … Read more

Digital brain atlas of aging may improve early detection of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative conditions Researchers have produced a detailed digital atlas of the ageing human brain that could help clinicians detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders in older adults. By comparing an individual’s MRI scan to a map of healthy … Read more

Summary: Researchers compare human habits—like a vinyl collector favoring a particular record store—to a widespread decision-making strategy called operant matching, in which animals distribute choices according to expected rewards. New experiments show fruit flies use the same strategy, and the work pinpoints synaptic mechanisms in the fly brain that implement it. A recent study at … Read more